Reflection: Shadow of the Bloodline Limit
by The Shattered Evoker
Summary: AU. The life of Minato Namikaze has been spared during the great tragedy of the kyuubi thanks to the intervention of a Third Party at the price of the lives of the Uchiha Clan. With Naruto raised in a family, Sasuke struggles through Konoha alone.
1. The Seed of Tomorrow

"Why not share some candy between friends?" Said one of the school punks.

_God, is there ANY night that they don't pester me? I'm starting to think that they're like flies stalking a heap of shit… hehe, no pun intended_. Thought Uchiha Sasuke, who was sitting at the bottom of the cold steps of the park, enjoying the half-consumed sour mango lollipop that he was trying to finish for the last hour. He'd cursed more if the candy melted too soon but at least the man in the store kept his word, it'll last until you got in trouble and trouble did get to Sasuke before he could finish.

"Sorry guys" he stood from his position and cracked the candy, destroying it to pieces and gulping the partly melted treat down before spitting the white plastic stick in to the ground "Go buy your own, I'm off for the night" The boy placed his hands in his pocket and took a step.

BLAG!

A bag was thrown at him, hitting him on the top left of the back of his head. Sasuke would've frowned if he wasn't already frowning at the moment, just what did he do this time? Oh right, he doesn't need to do anything to get in trouble. Just being him made him a deserving target for trouble. Our black haired hero took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

_Alright, just tonight… No fighting for me._ Thought Uchiha Sasuke, taking his few brave steps towards temperance.

All would've gotten well.

If it weren't for the second bag that was thrown at him.

"You're going to die" Sasuke made a sharp turn and jumped towards the wall, gaining momentum and kicking himself off and kicking the nearest kid in sight. Fortunately for him, they were all lined up, creating a domino effect. His little 'friends' groaned as they fell on each other, bruised as they are but nevertheless alive.

That's what's important, right? As long as they're alive he won't get into much trouble with the grown-ups.

Sasuke he reached through one of the boys' pockets and took a lollipop from him, a smirk escaping his mouth "Jeeze, and here you are having your own candy" he said and unwrapped the candy before placing it on his mouth and walked away "And get the right flavor next time! This thing's cherry" he remarked at the sweet treat but shrugged as a cold wind passed by "Well, if you get any serious injuries, tell Ms. Inuzaka I said Hi..." he stopped for a second and thought things more deeply.

_Whoops, wrong type of doctor. _Chuckled Sasuke as he walked into the dead of night.

**

Uchiha Manor, a place of utter importance and an image of ancestry. More than 12 years ago, the manor was more than just that. It was a place filled with people, kind living people. Some of them, Sasuke loved, and some, he hated. All in all, it was a place that he called home. Now, it was nothing more than an empty place where people used to live, a place where only one soul resides in the confines of the cold walls.

"I'm home" Sasuke entered his house and turned on the lights, throwing his bag to the side without care. The boy went to the living room and bowed to the picture of his dead parents before walking towards the kitchen, opening the cupboards and taking out a bowl of instant noodles. As he was going to open it, Sasuke gave out a low sigh and turned his head slightly to the side.

"Does it really hurt if you knock first… hokage-sama?" Sasuke then threw the plastic bowl without warning and hit something hard with a loud THUD! Causing Namikaze Minato to groan and come out of the shadows, clutching his nose in pain "I know you're all powerful and all mighty and stuff but that doesn't give you the excuse to come into my house whenever you feel like it. Keep this up and I'll press charges for stalking" Sasuke uncaringly said as he went to find a clean cloth and handed it to Minato in case he suffered a nosebleed.

"That may be, but it pays to monitor your health… do you know how bad it is to the body if you continue to eat things like these?" Minato asked, taking up the instant noodle bowl and showing it to Sasuke.

"Oh so you're my nutritionist now… wait, that shouldn't be right… How did you know about my food list?" Sasuke asked, getting creeped out by Minato's knowledge of his frequent lunch and dinner.

"Don't take it that way, I'm just a concerned citizen that's watching over a kid who doesn't know the difference between real food and fast food" Minato said as he looked at Sasuke go over the cupboard again and prepared some tea for him. At the sight, Minato went over to the table and waited for Sasuke to come back.

"It's not much but help yourself" Said Sasuke, giving Minato the glass of hot tea before sitting down in front of him.

"Thank you!" Minato smiled and took a sip, raising a brow at the taste.

"Well? Don't tell me it's too strong again" Groaned Sasuke but he was assured by Minato with a cheeky smile.

"It's great! A little hot but it's perfect this time" Minato complimented him then placed a medium-sized lunch box on the table before pushing it gently towards Sasuke "I hope you like sukiyaki" said Minato.

Sasuke looked towards the lunch box and placed a hand on it, this was the 200th time that he was given a home-made meal by the Hokage himself, not adding the innumerable times that he was invited into the Uzumaki residence for lunch as well as dinner. He had wondered all these years why does the Hokage perform these acts of kindness towards him. Sure he was the last of the Uchiha clan but Sasuke knew that there was more than just that. He never cried nor confessed anything to Minato before but deep inside, he accepted the fact and believes that Minato is one of the very few people that understood him. The rumors of him following his brother's murderous footsteps not only killed his reputation but also left him devoid of any social interactions although there were few kids of his age that overlook those rumors and see him as he is.

With a bow of gratitude, Sasuke thanked Minato and started eating in silence. The food was utterly delicious and it had an aroma that couldn't be found in any food that he bought or tried to cook. He savored each bite, letting the flavor of the sumptuous beef roll along his tongue. Sasuke always appreciated Kushina-san's cooking, he wouldn't complain if he got the same thing over and over again as long as it's homemade and made by Uzumaki Kushina. An hour later, after Sasuke finished with the hearty dinner, he found himself standing at the front of his house, watching the great 4th hokage leave.

"Oh and tell Kushina-san I said hi!" Sasuke added before Minato could get too far for him to hear.

In confirmation that he received Sasuke's request, Minato raised a hand and waved it gently, causing the youngster to smile and go back inside.

**

Last night's movie marathon didn't do well on Sasuke, one minute he's watching exaggerated ninja scenes and the next morning he found himself yawning every five minutes.

"I hate monda…" He stopped himself from finishing his sentence and blinked at the gang of kids that blocked his way to the academy "Now what? It's eight in the morning!" Sasuke scratched behind his head, sure he was a genius but fighting eight kids at the same time would just earn him a nasty set of injuries.

"We want revenge for last night" Said the leader-looking-type of the group, taking a brave step forward.

"My point exactly" Sasuke crossed arms, he needed a few more hours of sleep before he could settle this little skirmish that he partly caused "Which is why we should settle this at the same time, same place of our little misunderstanding"

"I don't think we could wait by then" Said the shortest of the group, following the leader who was now cracking his knuckles, making the others follow his lead.

Dropping his bag to the side, Sasuke scratched behind his head and readied himself. Eight against one was not a fair fight at all but this could end very badly or end with good results, hopefully on his side.

"AND YOU CALL YOURSELVES CITIZENS OF KONOHA?!" Shouted a voice that Sasuke was very familiar with, and in a split second, a yellow haired boy wearing an orange jumpsuit appeared in-between of Sasuke and his attackers.

"Naruto…" Groaned Sasuke, watching the great son of the great hokage come to his aid... alright, maybe not-so-great son of the great hokage. This carefree stubborn genin-to-be spends most of his time either eating ramen at the ramen place or pestering the last of the Uchiha clan. Most of the time it was the former but to Sasuke, having Naruto trying to spend time with him just once in a day was equal to a hundred bonding moments with the ramen-obsessed person in history. Of course, having Naruto around would make Sasuke invincible towards the bullies of the town but Sasuke wasn't that kind of person. If he wanted things done as planned then you'll have to do it yourself; and using someone's status to protect you violates Sasuke's personal moral code.

"Eight against one?! You guys have no sense of honor! All of you are a shame to the jounins of the village! They try very hard to teach us the honorable ways on how to become ninjas and you go and use your powers for your own gain!" Shouted Naruto, lecturing the bullies with the pride of being the 4th hokage's son "If you dare cheat in a battle then I'll make sure that you won't live another day to eat the ichiraku ramen's special ever again! BELIEVE IT!"

"Erm... Naruto-kun… Sasuke just left…" Said the leader, pointing at the spot where Sasuke used to be but that didn't help him from preventing the headsmack that Naruto had in store for him.

"Honorifics! Why can't you respect Sasuke-kun the way you respect me?" Naruto asked, starting to lose his temper.

"Alright!" Whined the leader who was now afraid of getting Naruto and the 4th hokage pissed "Sasuke… kun just left" he said bitterly, though he kept his tone a bit lighter to appease Naruto's temper.

A sigh escaped Naruto's mouth "Whatever, do this again and I'll bust your ass" he warned, glaring at the kids like how Sasuke used to glare at him, causing them to run away. "Just what is with these people?" he asked himself with disappointment, it seemed that it was mandatory for everyone to bully and show Sasuke that he isn't welcome in the village.

"Now where did he go?" Naruto asked himself again, turning his head from side to side.

"Right here" Sasuke said from the corner, buying a can of orange juice from the nearby vending machine and making Naruto run to his side "You didn't have to do that, Naruto, I could've beaten them up anytime I wanted" Said Sasuke, opening his can and drinking its contents.

Naruto walked beside him, hands behind his head and a smile on his face "Hehe! Don't say that Sasuke-kun, I know you that you're saying welcome in the inside"

Sasuke choked on his drink and coughed the orange juice up from hearing Naruto's words "That's why we don't get along! Stop making stupid assumptions for once and maybe I'll see you as a person… and I assume you studied for today's exam?" Asked Sasuke, turning to look at Naruto, seeing him silent and blinking in disbelief and was followed by a loud scream that was heard throughout town. The next thing that Sasuke knew was that Naruto was kneeling at the ground, head low and was using a panicked voice.

"SASUKE-KUN! Please let me copy your answers! Just for today! I'll treat you out for a full-course barbeque meal in return! I promise!" Naruto begged, bowing back and forth in an attempt to convince Sasuke.

"IDIOT!" Shouted Sasuke, disbelieving Naruto's idiocy "Didn't you study all week!? I tried to offer you tutoring but NO! You said you had it all under control… not to mention you topped it off with another BELIEVE IT!"

"Come on, Sasuke! Iruka sensei's going to kill me!" Naruto begged again.

"Can't you just use your… Sexy Technique to knock Iruka out?" Sasuke asked, not feeling entirely confident with letting Naruto copy.

"Oh…"Naruto looked up to him then gave out a nervous smile "Sorry, the elders banned that technique… So does that mean you'll allow me to copy?"

"… You're hopeless Naruto" Sasuke said with a shrug, leaving Naruto behind.


	2. The Pride of the Uchiha Clan?

"Sasuke-kun…" Naruto pestered, following right behind Sasuke with a gloom expression

"hn?" groaned Sasuke for the 15th time, he had to admit it to himself though that he didn't expect to survive Naruto's pestering and attempts at bargaining. The most notable of all Naruto's offer was his very soul, an offer that almost made Sasuke agree to let Naruto copy his answers. It was such a tempting offer but Sasuke knew that he had to abstain; it wouldn't do him any good if the 4th hokage was around... He stopped right there and screamed to the heavens for thinking of such things about betraying the 4th hokage after all those generous lunch and dinners, and by extension, he'll also be hurting the source of the delicious delicacy: Mrs. Kushina. The thought of hurting her would shatter his very world too. With a moment of reconsideration, Sasuke shrugged those thoughts off and focused on ignoring Naruto. Why was he placed in so much debts of kindness to Naruto's parents anyway?

Naruto on the other hand, froze and was extremely perplexed by the sudden screaming and comedy effects that shouldn't have been present on a quiet and snobbish guy like Sasuke. Still, he didn't want to get on the bad side of the last of the Uchiha Clan so he didn't have a choice but to forget what had happened much to his dismay.

"Will you let me copy now?" Asked Naruto, his begging turning to nagging

"No" Sasuke immediately shot him down, not caring anymore if Naruto could give him something in return or not.

_Jeez, son of the 4__th__ hokage and he's failing his grades? The world must be ending in a very bad way, I'm sure that Hokage-sama teaches Naruto… sometimes… but even so, Kushina-san would be more than enough help for him. So what's Naruto's problem anyway? I mean he doesn't look retarded- _Sasuke stopped again and thought about what he just thought about before resuming.

_Alright, maybe a little but still, who could fail miserably in written exams if he's slightly good in the field of Techniques? Sure he can't do most of the strenuous techniques but that's just a power imbalance if he couldn't memorize a single thing in the books ._Thought Sasuke

"Come on! I'll treat you to ramen today! Eat all you can!" Naruto resumed to begging from his current nagging.

Sasuke twitched his eye then let out a restrained chuckle, sure he can be rough on the Hokage's son but he still had to make sure that he doesn't piss him off to the point that it would attract the 4th Hokage's attention.

"Naruto" Sasuke started "A minute ago you were offering your soul and now you're offering me an eat all you can? I'm just confused on which is more important"

"Hey come on! You're not giving me any grounds to cover, and besides….." Naruto stopped talking as he realized something "HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY! What's that supposed to mean?!"

That did it; Sasuke let out a laugh at Naruto's frustration and decided to go along with it "Hey! It's a trivial matter! In one hand you have something material but obviously nutritious and on the other hand you have something immaterial but… I don't even wanna go there" Sasuke shrugged and walked faster this time towards the academy. When he was right in front of the gate, he and Naruto took a very deep breath before sighing "You want any last words?" Offered Sasuke.

"Just keep my pet frog safe" Naruto nodded.

"You have a pet frog?"Asked Sasuke, turning his head slightly towards Naruto.

"Don't ask, it's hard to be in a family who named you after a gutsy ninja" Naruto explained, kicking the rock in front of him and causing it roll forward.

"………… At least they got something right" Shrugged Sasuke, looking at the seemingly empty academy now.

"You're supposed to be on my side!" Growled Naruto, frowning at Sasuke with a twitching brow, hands slightly clenched.

"Whoops, sorry, bad weather gives you bad reception" Excused Sasuke, rolling his eyes.

Naruto blinked and then smelled himself "I took a bath this morning…. I think…" That earned him a smack in the head from Sasuke.

"IDIOT! Too much information on your end!" Shouted Sasuke, groaning a bit at Naruto, finding his attitude unique and peculiar everyday like a fortune cookie "Anyway…" Sasuke placed his hands into his pockets and started walking "I hope you survive this one" he said with a gloom expression and continued on, leaving Naruto on his own.

Naruto stretched himself and got himself warmed up, a determined and fierce look on his face "Yosh!" He took a step forward… and hit the trip wire that caused cans to rattle.

"Great, you startled the witch… aaaaaaaaand you attracted the horde" Sasuke groaned, now praying to the Gods to let Naruto find eternal rest.

"NARUUUUUUUUUUUTOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Shouted a shrieky voice. A flash of purple briefly appearing. Ino, rushed through the street along with the girls of their class. To some it may be a dream but to Naruto, getting involved in a sea of girls is his worst nightmare, last time he got caught in one, he almost died from the strangulating hugs that he receive, but fortunately for him, he hasn't lost his first kiss and his virginity yet.

"Sasuke-kun! Help me here!" Naruto shouted with fear, taking a few steps back from the approaching horde. It was as if he was caught in one of the deadliest Genjutsu ever created. In this dire situation that he was in, Naruto hoped that his friend would give him a helping hand… including a flurry of punches and kicks against these sexual harassment group.

Sasuke groaned at the sight, placing a hand on his forehead and rubbing it slightly "How did I get in this mess again?" he asked to no one. He was already at the safety of the school and why should he help someone who started their own mess? Sasuke could never thank the Gods enough for making him a simple kid as possible and not the son of a 4th Hokage. In either case, he thought that if he did have a fan base of girls that long to grope him, Sasuke confidently thought that he can just ignore them and make them distance themselves if they don't want to earn a bad note on his book.

"Oye…" Sasuke got out of the school building and walked towards Naruto's side, his expression wasn't as friendly as it used to be "You'd better not complain" Sasuke told Naruto with a warning finger "You want these fan girls to lessen somewhat?" he asked.

Naruto could only nod to Sasuke.

"And you won't press charges or testify against me in front of the elders?" Asked Sasuke.

"I'll find you the best lawyer!" Naruto offered immediately.

"And you won't hold it out against me after what I'm going to do?" Sasuke asked for the final time, the horde getting closer as every second passed by.

Naruto held himself steadfast and nodded, agreeing to all Sasuke's conditions.

"Good" Sasuke cracked his knuckles took a deep breath before looking up towards the clear blue sky.

_Sasuke…_Naruto was at a loss for words as he watched Sasuke, he never thought that the angsty kid with duck-ass hair would stand up to save his sorry hide. Never before did he have such respect for a kid of his age.

Sasuke suddenly grabbed him and locked him in a deep and passionate kiss. Causing Ino and all the girls to freeze and lose color, some of them wished that they had their eyes removed, had amnesia or were just plain dead as of now. Even Naruto was in a state of shock; his eyes were as wide as they could be as he felt Sasuke's lips in his, right in front of him was a boy that grew up with him through the years and as of now, Naruto was kissed by that very boy.

It took a total of ten seconds before Sasuke broke the kiss and turned towards the girls "Naruto's gay and he's the uke. That's why he doesn't like any of you!" Sasuke shouted at them in an angry tone, no blush could be seen in Sasuke's cheek, telling them that he wasn't lying.

After he said those words, All of the girls seemed to have died on the inside and fainted from the revelation. Ino on the other hand, seemed to have suffered a heart attack and a stroke at the same time.

If Sasuke wasn't his friend, Naruto would've killed him right now but even so, he did ask for Sasuke's help and Naruto couldn't count the number of times Sasuke did something for him that always saved his hide, either against would-be kidnappers or the everyday hindrance that Ebisu-sensei is.

After seeing that the results were good on Naruto's end, Sasuke smirked at the defeat of the horde and walked towards the academy "I'll be taking a bathroom break" Sasuke said to Naruto, his head held high with the pride of a man who did something extraordinary in order to help a friend in need.

"Y-yeah…" Naruto stammered, he was still in shock but his view towards Sasuke hasn't changed, he still saw him as a good friend and a man. "BELIEVE IT!" he said towards the girls, causing them to turn to dust.

Sasuke chuckled a bit and continued walking. On the outside he may look proud but deep inside, he was at the lowest of his confidence and was truly ashamed of his action.

_My manly pride is regenerating, my manly pride is regenerating, my manly pride is regenerating… _Thought Sasuke as he cried for himself in the inside. 

_My Clan would understand, my clan would understand, my clan would understand… _He continued on, trying to keep his shame to himself.

**

The ANBU that were guarding Naruto from the distance were in a state of confusion and nearly fell out of their hiding spot "Nobody told us this was an S-rank mission…" said some of them as they tried to get a hold of themselves

**

Somewhere, Uchiha Itachi was taking his midmorning snack of Dango and hot tea, when he was about to reach for the glass, it suddenly crack and a cold chill ran up his spine "A bad omen…" he muttered, his eyes set carefully on the glass.

**

In the spirit realm, Uchiha Fugaku was crossing his arms and was in a loss for words, his head hung low in shame from the extremely idiotic action that his son performed to save his friend.

"We died for THIS kid?" Asked the entire Uchiha Clan.

**

Minato was twitching as he watched the events that happened through the crystal ball "… Now I wish I made a proclamation to prevent all fan girls from reaching Naruto within a 50 mile radius the moment he was born…"

"Hokage-sama"

Minato looked up and saw Might Guy come into his room with a very serious expression

"hm?" Minato raised a brow at him, wondering if the Village of the Sand has made a hostile move against Konoha. Never before did he see Guy's expression unless face with a difficult situation.

"I saw what had happened and I can only give you one explanation for this…" Guy placed his hands into the Hokage's table and looked at him in the eye.

Minato frowned, was he going to lose his position?

"This is the work of…" Guy gave his cheeky smile and pointed over an illusionary sunset that seemed to have exceeded Kurenai's expertise "THE POWER OF YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTH!" he proclaimed before laughing mightily like he always do.

Minato twitched some more when he saw Guy's unusual move "Why do I have to be around weird people?" he asked to no one.

**

Sarutobi Hiruzen sighed as he took a gulp of hot tea and smiled "It's good not to be Hokage anymore!" Laughed Hiruzen, taking a bite out of his dango. Who knew what would've happened if he was still in his position?

* * *

**AN:**

**The kissing scene was intended to replace the clichéd 'Naruto got pushed from behind and kissed Sasuke accidentally' and was created just for laughs and originality. I would like to admit that it was hard writing that part but seeing that it would be good to replace a scene that we all know about with something new.**

**Comedic relief for the win.**


End file.
